This little gal is already 1 and a half! Still a tiny little thing but as fiery and independent as they come. A little bit about our Addi girl…

Did I mention independent? She likes to do things herself. In fact, she is quite skilled already at getting her shoes on, she definitely feeds herself (has for awhile) and is starting to drink from a big girl cup more proficiently, if something is out of her reach then she will climb to get it and she often prefers to go in the opposite direction when out for walks. Apparently, she wants to lead the way. Last week, she got one shoe on and when I asked if I could help with the other she promptly told me “NO!” and went into the other room for what felt like 5 minutes trying to do it herself. She finally came back and let me help her and then proceeded to sign and say, ‘car’ and when I asked if she wanted to go somewhere she gave me a giddy little laugh. I asked if she wanted to go for a walk and another giddy little laugh and the full body yes was her reply. So, away we went.

She loves to color and will scream “colla, colla” and hand a crayon to the person she wants to color with her.

She’s a physical gal. She runs (quite fast), gallops, dances, spins, tries to do somersaults, jumps and she loves to climb.

She adores her big sister (except when she won’t share with her) and often mimics her. She will also try to get up really close, with her thumb in her mouth, and snuggle with her. Since big sister has a sharing problem, this gal has learned that if she wants a toy to grab it and go. She gets a “forbidden” toy, grins and then takes off like the wind. I fear this is only the beginning. Ugh. One day, they will share nicely, right!?

She sticks out her tongue and makes a silly sound when she wants a popsicle, which is often.

She sleeps pretty well but definitely still likes to snuggle up next to Momma. When she’s tired, she will walk herself to her bed and lay right down with that thumb.

She’s a little copycat when it comes to talking and definitely likes to parrot back the things we say. Of course, no is her favorite word, even when the answer is yes. My favorite word she says is slippery (“wippwee”). Each day, she says “Hiwo Wiwee” (Hello, Lilly) to our neighbor’s horse.

Anytime there’s a chance to paint (or eat paint), she won’t be left out. She really enjoys art and creating.

She likes books and has a few favorites including Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Where’s Spot, Mr. Brown can Moo! Can you? and the Karen Katz lift the flap books.

She tells us when she needs a new diaper although she then doesn’t necessarily want to be changed.😉

She gives the sweetest hugs and kisses. I love the way her tiny arms reach around my neck and how she lays her head on my shoulder, so content and safe.

Anytime someone mentions the word “out/outside/walk” it’s all over and she runs to the window wanting to go out and then proceeds to run to get her “soos, soos, soos” (shoes) I love that she’s an outdoor gal. She could spend hours outside just walking around.

She’s a sweet and spunky little gal and we are so lucky she’s part of our family. Just 1 week old! Ahhh!

Yesterday, she had a pretty significant dental procedure and today she hit the trails.🙂 In fact, she was back to playing puppies and talking non-stop just a couple of hours afterwards. She most definitely recovered better than the rest of us.

We visited a dear friend today who hasn’t been feeling well in an attempt to bring her a little cheer. Chaotic as it may be with two active girlies.😉 Our friend has such an eclectic, funky style and the girls always love exploring her house. Today, she brought out these fun magnets that Jos created a “throne” out of for her stuffed doggie and then Jos discovered the silly magnets on her fridge and put some on her own photo.🙂 I sometimes think that it would be fun to have things like this (things discovered and enjoyed at another’s home) at our house but then quickly realize they would lose their magic. It’s so fun to have special little things like this that you enjoy when visiting someone else. I remember as a kid going to a neighbor’s home who had one of those pegboard jumping games (you know the one with the golf tees, can’t think of the name) or the “giant” grassy hill at my Aunt Mary’s house that we loved to endlessly roll down. We also really loved sending “walnut boats” down the creek at my Aunt Mary’s too and then running to see if we could beat them to the bottom. Those fun things and experiences we have are what build amazing connections and memories.

Some days are messy. Some days you wake up to no coffee. The no coffee status makes you crabby. Followed by repeating yourself over and over and over again to tiny humans who seem to have lost their ability to hear. You get frustrated, angry even. You realize that is helping no one. You decide being late to preschool is ok. You make an impromptu trip to the coffee shop for cocoa and that MUCH needed coffee. You hope that small gesture helps make up for being a crabby Mommy this morning. You decide to paint with your toddler despite the fact that you will inevitably be cleaning up the mess for far longer than it took to assemble and complete the project. You let her have fun while trying to keep her from CONSTANTLY trying to eat the paint. You make lunch only to have it thrown on the floor. You wonder how much food she has actually consumed today but you are too busy picking it up off the floor to dwell. You get screamed at. You hear the phrase “no, no, no” more than you care to even though that little voice is so stinkin’ cute. You engage in wrestling matches. Oh wait, I mean diaper changes. Insert more screaming. You wipe noses and clean faces as quickly as you can to try and reduce yet more screaming. You take your child to the doctor even though chances are they will tell you it’s just something that has to pass. They do, but not before there are more tears and screaming and “no,no,no” at said appointment. You are only halfway through the day. You still have the loooong afternoon ahead and dinner and bath and bedtime. You tell yourself you can do this but know that if this were any other job, you would be running as fast as you could out the door yelling “I quit.”. You don’t though because darn it, you love these little people. You helped to create them. You are responsible for them. You know that there are growing pains along the way. Sometimes, a short break or time away helps but you always, always want to come back. You always want to keep doing this over and over and over again because THEY are SO worth it.